Neither candidate for judge deemed qualified

Neither candidate forjudge deemed qualified YOUNGSTOWN -- The Mahoning County Bar Association has deemed neither Judge Robert A. Douglas Jr. nor Anthony J. Farris, his opponent in Tuesday's primary race for Youngstown Municipal Court judge, qualified for election. Judge Douglas has been on the municipal court bench since December 1997. Farris has been an assistant city prosecutor since March 1997. Balloting was conducted by the bar from April 20 to Monday. The attorneys considered the qualities of temperament, integrity, experience and decision-making ability, said Ted Macejko Jr., the bar's president. Forum for pupils GIRARD -- A forum will be at 7:30 p.m. next Thursday at the high school auditorium for all pupils who will be in grades 7-12 next year and their parents. The focus of the meeting is to discuss scheduling, curriculum and extracurricular activities. Highway safety GIRARD -- City police will be participating in a highway safety program on weekends in May. Emphasis will be placed on prom safety, with officers looking for drunken driving, open containers in vehicles and reckless operation. Mentor recognition LIBERTY -- Volunteer mentors at Blott Elementary School will be recognized at 2 p.m. next Thursday at the school. The volunteers are part of the Help One Student to Succeed, or HOSTS, program that pairs mentors with pupils struggling to read. Blott initiated the program in March 2000 after receiving an OhioReads grant from the state. Since then, more than 100 pupils have been mentored by more than 150 volunteers. Gunshot victim dies YOUNGSTOWN -- Gunshot victim James Robinson, 24, of Stewart Avenue died Wednesday in St. Elizabeth Health Center. Robinson was shot in the head in a car Monday evening on Logan Avenue. The driver told police that seven to eight shots were fired from a car that pulled up behind him near Hubbard Road. The driver was unable to give police a description of who fired. How to spot storms BOARDMAN -- Mahoning Valley Skywarn, a volunteer organization of weather spotters, will offer training on how to recognize approaching storms and tornadoes. Gary Garnet, a forecaster for the National Weather Service in Cleveland, will conduct the session at 7 p.m. Monday in the Boardman Township Government Building, 8299 Market St., one mile south of the Southern Park Mall. Training is free. Fire at Joyce center YOUNGSTOWN -- An ashtray with a lighted cigarette that was dumped into a trash can started a fire in a corner office at the Martin P. Joyce Juvenile Justice Center at 3 p.m. Wednesday. The sheriff's department said the room had fire, smoke and water damage. Court employees were sent home for the remainder of the day. The fire department had the situation under control within minutes, officials said. Agency head honored BOARDMAN -- Penny Senyak, executive director of ON TASC Inc., an area nonprofit organization that helps communities and school systems find ways to combat drug and alcohol abuse, will receive an Award of Excellence from the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Association of Ohio next Thursday. The award is presented to individuals for superior work in the prevention of drug and alcohol abuse and violence. Bus driver suspended SALEM -- School officials here have suspended a bus driver whose bus was in a traffic accident during a field trip. Driver Joan Wellendorf, 32, of Harrison Avenue, was given three days off without pay, Superintendent Dave Brobeck said. Further discipline may be imposed, pending further investigation. Wellendorf was cited by the Ohio State Highway Patrol after the April 24 accident for following too closely on Interstate 76 in Portage County. Wellendorf was trailing another Salem school bus when that bus stopped on the highway and Wellendorf's bus smashed into it, the patrol said. The field trip to Akron consisted of fourth- through sixth-grade pupils. No one was seriously hurt.